Wednesday, December 22, 2010

MAS Freedom conducts Activism workshop on Islamophobia at National Conference

"Are you now, or have you ever been, associated with the religion of Islam? This is not an absurd question, but one that very well may be directed to individuals who may be subpoenaed to testify before a future hearing called by Representative Peter King(R-NY) before the Department of Homeland Security. King will be the new committee chairperson in January for the House Committee on Homeland Security, replacing the outgoing Chair Representative Bennie Thompson(D-MS.

The issue that Representative King would like to investigate is what he believes to be the growth of Islamic radicalism in America, and presumably, the failure of national Muslim leaders and organizations to address it. Mr. King expressed his views in a recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal. Presumably, some of his Republican House colleagues, including ones who have been at the forefront of public anti-Muslim rhetoric, will join him in his interrogations.

But for many people, these hearings bring up memories of a tragic episode in the America of the 1950s American history when Right-wing zealots, led by then-Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, dragged people before a House Committee on Un-American Activities. These hearings targeted numerous Americans, who had committed no crimes against their government of fellow citizens, and accused them of being pro-Communist dupes of the Soviet Union. This crusade against Left activists, intellectuals, and notable persons in the entertainment industry resulted in the destruction of reputations, livelihoods, and even actual lives.

It may be that Rep. King, who has expressed no fear at being characterized as an anti-Muslim bigot, wants to do the same thing now to Muslims in America that Joe McCarthy did for suspected Socialists more than 50 years ago.

Conventional wisdom has always suggested that global Islam has replaced global Communism as the primary threat to the U.S. national security establishment, and the actions of hostile networks like Al Qaeda, Al Shabab, and the Taliban in Afghanistan give some substance to this evaluation. But Representative King's relentless focus on the "homegrown" threat of what he calls "Islamic radicalism" is an invitation to accelerate the same unjust attacks on Muslim leaders and national organizations that characterized the "Red Scare" antics of "Tail Gunner Joe".

And as long as our organizations are viewed with hostility and suspicion, law-abiding Muslims will be unjustly painted with the brush of collective guild for the malfeasance of a small minority of Muslims in America who have actually been involved in illegal or violent activities that actually threaten the security of the people of this nation.

Rep. King should understand that Muslim leaders and organizations in America have indeed condemned extremism, and in fact two organizations-the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Muslim American Society-have been commended in a 2010 congressional reports for work to counter the attempted radicalization of American Muslim youth. Moreover, there are many examples of ongoing interfaith dialogue in America and positive Muslim civic engagement with the larger society.

What is likely to emerge from these hearings is not a deeper understanding of "Islamic" radicalism, or even the legitimate exposure of threats to our security, but rather, another round of taxpayer-funded Muslim bashing that whips up even more divisive xenophobia and religious bigotry in the nation. Perhaps Rep. King should leave the real detective and law enforcement work to the professionals at DHS.

MAS Freedom will address issues related to the Muslim community response to Islamophobia and unprincipled attacks on our collective civil rights at in a workshop on "Muslim Activism 101", to be held at the upcoming MAS-ICNA conference in Chicago, IL from December 23rd to December 26th, 2010. We encourage members of our community to join us in learning more about how we can collectively respond to these threats against Muslims in America while building more positive civic engagement.

Monday, November 29, 2010

On November 27th, Mukit Hossain, a beloved co-worker and friend, made his transition back to Allah at the age of 54. His passing was sudden. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and numerous relatives and friends in his nativeBangladesh and throughout the United States.

Mukit will be remembered for his numerous contributions to the Muslim community of northern Virginia and the larger community of the United States. Mukit a member of the board of trustees of the ADAMS Center, and he was also among a very small group of Muslim leaders who had the foresight, and insight, to recognize the importance of voting and civic engagement as a process for empowering Muslims in America.

Since 2001, he was active in the leadership of the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee, where he worked tirelessly to register and mobilize Muslim voters. Mukit's efforts were rewarded in 2006, when he worked to coordinate the MAS Freedom Voting is Power (VIP) initiative. This effort was instrumental in energizing the Muslim electorate in northern Virginia, which provided the margin of victory for a victorious candidate for the United States Senate. He also was recognized for his interfaith work with Christian, Jewish, and Unitarian congregations, and for his successful organizing efforts on behalf of legislation that demanded "truth in advertising" for both Halal and Kosher food products.

He was the founder of Food Source, an organization dedicated to feeding homeless people in Fairfax County. And more recently, Mukit and his family left the more frenetic pace of city life to raise Halal goats on a farm in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Mukit would describe his transition to country life and farming as "one most peaceful job of his life."

Mukit, though, was more than an accomplished political activist, farmer, and leader. He was a beloved friend to many of us who will remember his rapier-like wit, his bright smile, his humor, and even his hilarious accounts of life in the United States as a Bangladeshi Muslim graduate of Duke University. And most of all, we will remember Mukit as Muslim who would always take time to remember Allah (SWT) in prayer, while encouraging his brother and sisters to join him.

MAS Freedom joins with the Muslim community, and with the wider community of faith, in sending our condolences to the family of Brother Mukit. May Allah (SWT) receive him and grant his Paradise, for truly, from Allah we come, and to Him is our return.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Last week, the Anti-Defamation League compiled a list of ten nationalorganizations whom they consider to be "anti-Israel".These groups included secular Left activist organizations, Palestinianrights groups, and two prominent national Muslim organizations, includingthe Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Muslim AmericanSociety.

It's interesting to note that this isn't the first time that the ADL hasstruck out against Muslim organizations and groups on the political Left,essentially because of our stand on the issue of the Israeli occupation ofPalestinian land and the ongoing economic blockade of Gaza. But the factthat the ADL now openly characterizes us, and others, as "Anti-Israel" doesrequire both a political analysis of the allegation, and an understanding ofthe subtext that underlies the contention.

For the record, it should be noted that the ADL is an important, andrespected, organization that has a long history of principled opposition toanti-Smites (a global phenomenon), and to an extent, racism in the Americanexperience. Muslim and progressive organizations should celebrate thispositive work, because racism and anti-Semitism should have no legitimateplace in either the Muslim organizational world or the world of progressivepolitics. Those of us who have heard, or witnessed, statement thatexcoriate Jews or attack their human rights have been, and should be, movedto reject these pronouncements. In the case of MAS, Mr. Foxman and the ADLwere informed that individuals who made such statements at our 2009 nationalconference did so without the support or authorization of our organization.

But the ADL now characterizes these anti-occupation groups as being"Anti-Israel", and this allegation requires some unpacking. Does this implythat MAS,CAIR and others deny the right of the Israel to exist as a nationstate? Or that we deny the human rights of the Jewish people? Or that we areguilty of hating Jews?

What Mr. Foxman would discover, if he and the ADL are interested in thetruth of the matter, is that none of these positions characterize thepositions of MAS, CAIR, and I truly believe, other groups on this nefarious"Anti-Israel" list. It is true that there is virulent racism andanti-Semitism in the world, and these sentiments are vile and morallyindefensible. But anti-Semitism and opposing the racially constructed,pro-colonialism policies of Israel are not one in the same. And Mr. Foxmanand company know this very well.

Indeed, there are numerous progressive Jews, including Israelis themselves,that reject the premise that a Jewish state can claim legitimacy whileopposing the most basic rights of the indigenous people who remainmarginalized, dispossessed, and oppressed by the Israeli government.

There is also the allegation that MAS, and others, support " terrorism" Buthow does the ADL selectively define this term? Certainly, lobbing rocketsfrom Gaza that kill Israeli civilians in the city of Ashkelon is somethingthat no moral person can defend. But there is a clear lack of symmetry inthe absence of any condemnation by the ADL, or other pro-Israel organizations,of the ongoing destruction of Arab homes and villages, or the systematicsettler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territories. How could anyperson claiming to be a supporter of human rights possible ignore, orrationalize these actions done in the name of the Jewish state?

Arab and Majority-Muslim nation states certainly have their own deep moralcontradictions when it comes to violence and human oppression, and this isan issue that none of us can afford to be silent about. But Israel(thanksin part a well-funded and ubiquitous lobby), is largely insulated from thelegitimate moral concerns that confront nearly all other nations guilty ofmassive human rights violations. And ignoring this issue will neither makeIsrael "secure" nor will it help is shaping a comprehensive and just peacefor the people of Israel, Palestine, and the entire Middle East.

It would be naive to ignore the huge divide between pro-Zionist and Muslimand politically progressive groups on the issue of the moral legitimacy ofthe occupation. But perhaps a good place to start might be the affirmation,by both the ADL and the organizations it opposes, of the need fora comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East and an end to all forms of militarism and violence in the region.Israel.

Indeed, if neither occupation nor retaliatory violence can lead to viableand just outcomes, such a conversation could be mutually informative, andeven move us all from the "anti-Israel" and "pro-Palestine" paradigm thatbenefits no one. MAS and others will continue to support the end of theIsraeli occupation and the injustice of the oppression of the people ofPalestine, because that is the morally right position to take, not only forMuslims, but for all people who value freedom and justice. But it is astand that is taken by more and more Jews as well. And hopefully, theAnti-Defamation league will one day realize that there is no value in usingthe "Anti-Israel" canard to smear and mis-characterize anti-occupationgroups, and that no nation-state, anywhere, should be exempt from legitimatecriticism when it comes to the issue of the violation of basic human rightof either its citizens or those under its domination.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Recently, the political Right has been working overtime to convince the American public (again) that Islam presents a mortal threat to the constitutional integrity of the Republic. Political pundits, radio shock-jocks, professional Muslim bashers,and an assorted menagerie of others are now trumpeting the line that Muslims in the United States are "threatening" the nation by way of some misguided, and nefarious, attempt to impose Islamic law on the 97% of the country that is not Muslim.

Most recently, Sharron Angle, the Tea Party-backed Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Nevada, gave specificity to the "threat" by claiming that two American municipalities-Dearborn, Michigan and Frankfort, Texas-were in danger of coming under the control of Islamic law. But the only trouble with these accusations is that they are utterly, and scandalously, untrue.

Non-Muslims should be aware that Sharia is simply a legal code, binding on Muslims, that governs the conduct of individuals as well as the broader community, The sources of Sharia and the Holy Qur'an ( which Muslims believe is the word of God as transmitted to Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Jibril), and the Hadith, or Prophetic example of Muhammad as transmitted by the Companions of the Prophet and reliable and trusted scholars who came after them). The Sharia is intended to regulate the norms and conduct of Muslims in the areas of marriage and divorce, family life, the rights and duties of men and women, inheritance laws, busness transactions, and other things that normalize conduct in religious communities.

Shar'ia is not intended to replace, supplant, or superimpose itself on the United States Constitution, or any local or state statutes that citizens or residents of the United States are bound to honor. Muslim-bashers are aware of this, as they are no doubt aware that there is no serious attempt by any reputable Muslim organizations to contemplate any foolish attempt to force Islamic law on people who are not Muslim.

The current Mayor of Dearborn, Jack O'Reilly, said as much when he responded to Ms. Angle's claim by saying that she "doesn't know what she's talking about" when she claims that Dearborn is Shar'ia bound. Moreover, national Muslim organizations, including MAS, have all declared that they seek to advance Islam in America totally within the boundaries of the law of the society.

Although Ms, Angle and other opponents of the Muslim American community are unwilling to let facts get in the way of their hostile opinions, the reality is simply that Muslims in the United States are neither capable of, or willing to, impose religious law on a secular society. Shar'ia is not a threat to anyone, and the continued use of that false argument only serves to potentially undermine the legitimate rights and religious liberties of law-abiding American Muslims who have no subversive designs on the law of the land.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Complexity, and Duplicity of War Make "Victory" for the U.S. in Afghanistan More Elusive than Ever

I am old enough to remember the conflict in Vietnam, which is still regarded by many as the first clear military defeatof the U.S in history. There were multiple reasons for this demise, including the fact that national liberation struggles (remember, America also began one in 1776) are far different in character for conventional armies just throwing down on the field of battle.

But another factor in the U.S. demise in Vietnam is the fact that the Vietnamese resistance ( that is, the "enemy') was like a Chimera-elusive, ghost-like, and taking on multiple disguises-including the uniforms of those who presented themselves as U.S. 'allies" against the North Vietnamese and the indigenous anti-imperialist forces in South Vietnam better known as the Viet Cong.

Something similar seems to be going on in Afghanistan now. It would be a dis-analogy to say that the Taliban are the equivalent of the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese Army under the command of Hanoi, but the situations do have some commonality. The Taliban have infiltrated the "regular" Afghan Army and conduct some of their operations in both Afghan army uniforms and-lately-U.S. Army uniforms as well. Add to the mix the release last month of the Wikileaks classified internal Pentagon documents that specified the suspected collaboration of Pakistan intelligence operatives with the Taliban resistance in Afghanistan.

And now, this week, we have witnessed the successful Taliban attacks on 25 NATO gasoline tankers headed to Afghanistan from Pakistan. It seems to me like somebody with ties to the United States might, in fact, be "dropping a dime" on American military war plans from the inside.

War, of course, is about stealth, intelligence and counter-intelligence, and keeping one's adversary guessing about troop movements, supply movements, tactical and strategic plans, and the like. Commanders on both ( or should I say, all) sides of the war in Afghanistan, clearly understand this. But war, as Clausewitz so profoundly said in the 19th Century, is simply the continuation of politics by other means. And the convoluted politics of Afghan political corruption, double-dealing, and obscure objectives, may prove impossible for even the massive firepower of the U.S. to overcome.

Now, we have reports that the weak and failed government of Hamid Karzai is in negotiations with the Taliban. The objectives and prospects of these "preliminary" talks are not clear. But if a cease-fire comes between the Taliban and the Afghan government, it will be very hard to explain to the families of American troops killed in the conflict the reason for their sacrifice, or why some of their "allies" were working both sides of the war.

The Taliban are not "liberators", or progressives, either in the context of Islamic practice or the positive evolution of Afghan civil society. But the Taliban are also neither unified nor ideologically monolithic. And it just may be remotely possible for some agreement to be reached with some elements of the insurgency that could end, or at least radically reduce, the tragedy of killing and destruction in Afghanistan.

If this is the case, then war will truly not have been the answer, and the American government will be hard pressed to justify their enormous, and likely failed, investment in a military solution to the internal Afghanistan "problem".

A Voice of Reason

A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Mr. Ramey is the Director of the Civil and Human Rights Division of the Muslim American Society Freedom (MAS Freedom), the human rights and social advocacy component of the Muslim American Society (MAS), America's largest grassroots Muslim organization, with chapters in some 50 cities in the USA.

More About Ibrahim

Ibrahim serves as a board member of the Muslim Women's Institute, the Temple of Understanding (an interfaith organization promoting dialogue and cooperation among diverse religious traditions), and the Climate Crisis Coalition. He also serves as a Vice President of the Steering Committees of the Religious NGO Community at the United Nations

In addition to numerous awards from local and national organizations for his international advocacy work for peace and nonviolent social justice, Ibrahim received the first Better World Activist Award from the MAS Freedom (2000), and the Distinguished International Service Award (2004) from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs.

Prior to joining MAS Freedom in 2006, Ibrahim coordinated national disarmament work for the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Nyack, New York.